Defense chief calls for greater effort in assimilating rank-and-filers

SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's defense chief called Friday on commanders
to help soldiers better cope with their compulsory armed service after a year
tarnished by a grenade explosion that left five injured, an official said.
The comment by Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee came after a Nov. 23 incident in
which an army private tossed a hand grenade into nearby sleeping quarters in
protest over the difficult conditions.
Speaking at his first meeting with senior commanders this year, the defense
minister also reiterated President Lee Myung-bak's call to increase dialogue with
soldiers and help them invoke their individual skills to better adapt to the
military, the official who attended the closed meeting said.
"The minister understands how important it is for commanders to try to understand
and maximize the individual strengths our soldiers have," the official said on
customary condition of anonymity.
All able South Korean men must serve at least two years of armed service as their
country remains technically at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean War
that ended in a truce instead of a peace treaty.
But the service, which involves more than 660,000 members, has also been
criticized as foisting menial labor on a young generation of soldiers.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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